Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Thinking about Childhood.

My life long friend is off to Vegas today - I had to laugh as I read her Facebook status line saying something like..... Wish me luck. If I do not return you know I have won big. Am now residing along some beach, with man servants and a big sailing yacht! My response, remember I am good at getting you out of / into trouble just say the word and I will be there....
The two of us could have lots of fun and photo taking adventures in Las Vegas...not to mention what fun could be had on above mentioned beach or sailing yacht! I hope she has a ton of fun, wish her luck on the big win.


I do not have very many early childhood memories that do not involve Deb. We were pretty much inseparable from the time she moved in when I was 10 months old to the time she moved in 1973ish it could have been 1974 ( I was in grade 3 I know that but what part the memory is gone) Thankfully she moved not too far away and we were able to keep connected, though drifting in and out we always manage to pick up where we left off, no apologies, no excuses. Friends like this are rare and few between and I am blessed because of it. I always know that she is just there... the type of person if I was stranded in her town and just showed up on her doorstep there would be no questions asked and I would be at home...

The conversation would be sweet, and we would laugh about the good old days. The times of eating ourselves sick sitting up the plum tree. Or sleep overs where little sleeping was done (but much yelling from one mom or another to get some!) Talking on the phone till our ears burned from the heat, while the whole time we could see each other in our bedroom windows (but we were not allowed to go out...so we burned up the phone lines) Bike rides exploring the blocks around home. Trips to Woodwards on 1.49 day, when our moms would cram the 4 kids in 2 buggies and "tag team" shop, one mom manning the buggies as the other shopped then switching off. (smart ladies that they were) Some of our best summer days involved VERY extensive barbie set ups, here camping trailer set up on her front yard, my tent trailer in our front yard, and in another yard 1/2 a block up the street G.I. Joe and Big Jim would have their space. Or there was the running between houses to find out which Mom was serving the best dinner and then asking if one or the other could stay for dinner. I think our mom's caught on to that one pretty quick when both of them said Liver and Onions one day..... talk about no options. (poor Deb the one time it was what my mom was truly serving...) I remember sitting in my back yard, waiting for Deb's little sister to be brought home from the hospital after her birth, just sitting waiting, for what seemed like hours. Huge water fights, or games of kick the can, dressing up for birthday parties - and I mean dressing up, party dresses, spiffy hair dresses and patten leather shoes a shining. Ah the sweet memories of Childhood. We were priviledged to live in such a great neighbourhood. The Rogers, Williams and Kyle kids were pretty much just the KIDS.

There have been some rough spots to be sure, but you know we have weathered those and have laughed many atime over some of the worst of them.... How many people can say they bit their best friend in the butt, drew blood through blue jeans, yes drew blood! (my bite her blood, I never have asked if she has a scar?) And know that all is forgiven - hey she broke the leg off my barbie on purpose I might add.... A barbie which she "replaced" for my 40th Birthday - and we howeld! Best gift of the night hands down. Or there was the time we were playing in her basement and we noticed that there was a little fire in this big metal box.. thinking that it was dangerous we blew it out. OOPS, how were we to know it was the pilot light for the GAS furnace. We got a tongue lashing from her dad..oh my ANGRY! Then there was the time a few years after she moved that we found a deck of smokes in the bush behind the school close to her house.... yup we choked our way through our first smoking expereience together. Sweet o.k. some bitter sweet and some just plain dumb things we did, memories of Childhood, but it was the 2 of us through thick and thin....

Life has certainly led us both down different winding roads, but some how some where in the midst of it all we always have managed to wind our way back and forth across each others roads. We do not see each other often, we "chat" a little on FB but I treasure this friendship as a rare gift and for those times we do manage to connect in person for real face to face I just add it to the memory bank and am simply thankful for just one more time.